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J398 

Jatakas 
Jataka  tales 


$73lh 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022226208 


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FIB  I  f  1^72 

P    my 


r^:^'JJ 


■  n    1 


'fc 


jCT  3  0  1974 


1  5  197ji 
1974 


Form  No.   1685 


CTIO 


OCT  ?8i? 

APH  2  2 


ECO 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/jatakatalesretolOObabb 


./ 


Jataka    Tales 


o 


Jataka    Tales 


Re-told    by 

Ellen   C.   Babbitt 

With  illustrations  by 
Ellsworth    Young 


New  York 

The  Century  Co. 

1912 


Copyright,   1912,  by 
The  Century  Co. 


Published,  September,  igit 


J 

3SS 


Library,  Univ.  of 
North  Caroiina 


Dedicated 

to 

DOT 


FOREWORD 

Long  ago  I  was  captivated  by  the  charm  of  the 
Jataka  Tales  and  realized  the  excellent  use  that  might 
be  made  of  them  in  the  teaching  of  children.  The 
obvious  lessons  are  many  of  them  suitable  for  little 
people,  and  beneath  the  obvious  there  are  depths  and 
depths  of  meaning  which  they  may  learn  to  fathom 
later  on.  The  Oriental  setting  lends  an  additional 
fascination.  I  am  glad  that  Miss  Babbitt  has  under- 
taken to  put  together  this  collection,  and  commend  it 
freely  to  teachers  and  parents. 

Felix  Adler. 


yu 


■m 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


'-    I  The  Monkey  and  the  Crocodile     ....  3 

"  (jl}  How  THE  Turtle  Saved  His  Own  Life      .     .  10 

m)   The  Merchant  of  Seri 13 

IV  The  Turtle  Who  Could  n't  Stop  Talking    .  18 

y  The  Ox  Who  Won  the  Forfeit     ....  21 

(ViJ)The  Sandy  Road 25 

"    VII  The  Quarrel  of  the  Quails  ......  30 

VIII  The  Measure  of  Rice       .......  34 

(DD    The  Foolish,  Timid  Rabbit 39 

X  The  Wise  and  the  Foolish  Merchant     .     .  44 

XI    The  Elephant  Girly-Face 52 

f^^>   The  Banyan  Deer 58 

XIII  The  Princes  and  the  Water-Sprite  ...  63 

XIV  The  King's  White  Elephant 69 

XV    The  Ox  Who  Envied  the  Pig 74 

A- XVI    Grannie's  Blackie y^ 

XVII    The  Crab  and  the  Crane 84 

XVIII  Why  the  Owl  Is  Not  King  of  the  Birds  .     .  90 


ti^*'^*- 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

The  Jatakas,  or  Birth-stories,  form  one  of  the  sacred 
books  of  the  Buddhists  and  relate  to  the  adventures 
i  of  the  Buddha  in  his  former  existences,  the  best  char- 
acter in  any  story  being  identified  with  the  Master. 

These  legends  were  continually  introduced  into  the 
religious  discourses  of  the  Buddhist  teachers  to  illus- 
^^  trate  the  doctrines  of  their  faith  or  to  magnify  the 
glory  and  sanctity  of  the  Buddha,  somewhat  as  medi- 
eval preachers  in  Europe  used  to  enliven  their  sermons 
by  introducing  fables  and  popular  tales  to  rouse  the 
flagging  interest  of  their  hearers. 

Sculptured  scenes  from  the  Jatakas,  found  upon  the 
carved  railings  around  the  relic  shrines  of  Sanchi  and 
Amaravati  and  of  Bharhut,  indicate  that  the  "Birth- 
stories"  were  widely  known  in  the  third  century 
B.C.,  and  were  then  considered  as  part  of  the  sacred 
history  of  the  religion.  At  first  the  tales  were  prob- 
V  ably  handed  down  orally,  and  it  is  uncertain  when 
they  were  put  together  in  systematic  form. 

xi 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  JATAKAS 

While  some  of  the  stories  are  Buddhistic  and  de- 
*  pend  for  their  point  on  some  custom  or  idea  pecuHar  to 
Buddhism,  many  are  age-old  fables,  the  flotsam  and 
jetsam  of  folk-lore,  which  have  appeared  under  various 
guises  throughout  the  centuries,  as  when  they  were 
used  by  Boccaccio  or  Poggio,  merely  as  merry  tales,  or 
by  Chaucer,  who  unwittingly  puts  a  Jataka  story  into 
the  mouth  of  his  pardoners  when  he  tells  the  tale  of 
"the  Ryotoures  three." 

Quaint  humor  and  gentle  earnestness  distinguish 
these  legends  and  they  teach  many  wholesome  lessons, 
among  them  the  duty  of  kindness  to  animals. 

Dr.  Felix  Adler  in  his  "Moral  Instruction  of  Chil- 
dren," says : 

The  Jataka  Tales  contain  deep  truths,  and  are  cal- 
culated to  impress  lessons  of  great  moral  beauty.  The  tale 
of  the  Merchant  of  Seri,  who  gave  up  all  that  he  had  in 
exchange  for  a  golden  dish,  embodies  much  the  same  idea 
as  the  parable  of  the  priceless  Pearl,  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  tale  of  the  Measures  of  Rice  illustrates  the  importance 
^  of  a  true  estimate  of  values.  The  tale  of  the  Banyan  Deer, 
which  offered  its  life  to  save  a  roe  and  her  young,  illus- 
trates self-sacrifice  of  the  noblest  sort.  The  tale  of  the 
Sandy  Road  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  collection. 

xii 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  JATAKAS 

And  he  adds  that  these  tales  "are,  as  everyone  must 
admit,  nobly  conceived,  lofty  in  meaning,  and  many  a 
helpful  sermon  might  be  preached  from  them  as  texts." 


xiu 


Jataka   Tales 


Jataka  Tales 

I 

THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  CROCODILE 
PART  I 

A  MONKEY  lived  in  a  great  tree  on  a  river 
bank. 
In  the  river  there  v^^ere  many  Crocodiles. 
A  Crocodile  watched  the  Monkeys  for  a  long  time, 
and  one  day  she  said  to  her  son :     *'My  son,  get  one  of 
those  Monkeys  for  me.     I  want  the  heart  of  a  Monkey 
to  eat." 

"How  am  I  to  catch  a  Monkey?"  asked  the  little 
Crocodile.  "I  do  not  travel  on  land,  and  the  Monkey 
does  not  go  into  the  water." 

"Put  your  wits  to  work,  and  you  '11  find  a  way," 
said  the  mother. 

And  the  little  Crocodile  thought  and  thought. 

3 


JATAKA  TALES 

At  last  he  said  to  himself :  "I  know  what  I  '11  do. 
I  '11  get  that  Monkey  that  lives  in  a  big  tree  on  the 
river  bank.  He  wishes  to  go  across  the  river  to  the 
island  where  the  fruit  is  so  ripe." 

So  the  Crocodile  swam  to  the  tree  where  the 
Monkey  lived.     But  he  was  a  stupid  Crocodile. 

*'Oh,  Monkey,"  he  called,  "come  with  me  over  to 
the  island  where  the  fruit  is  so  ripe." 

"How  can  I  go  with  you?"  asked  the  Monkey.  "I 
do  not  swim." 

"No — but  I  do.  I  will  take  you  over  on  my  back," 
said  the  Crocodile. 

The  Monkey  was  greedy,  and  wanted  the  ripe  fruit, 
so  he  jumped  down  on  the  Crocodile's  back. 

"Off  we  go !"  said  the  Crocodile. 

"This  is  a  fine  ride  you  are  giving  me!"  said  the 
Monkey. 

"Do  you  think  so?  Well,  how  do  you  like  this?" 
asked  the  Crocodile,  diving. 

"Oh,  don't!"  cried  the  Monkey,  as  he  went  under 
the  water.  He  was  afraid  to  let  go,  and  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do  under  the  water. 

When  the  Crocodile  came  up,  the  Monkey  sputtered 

4 


THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  CROCODILE 

and  choked.     "Why  did  you  take  me  under  water, 
Crocodile?"  he  asked. 

"I  am  going  to  kill  you  by  keeping  you  under 
water,"  answered  the  Crocodile.  "My  mother  wants 
Monkey-heart  to  eat,  and  I  'm  going  to  take  yours  to 
her." 


"Why  did  you  take  me  under  water,  Crocodile?"  he  asked. 


"I  wish  you  had  told  me  you  wanted  my  heart,"    ^ 
said  the  Monkey,  "then  I  might  have  brought  it  with 
me." 

"How  queer !"  said  the  stupid  Crocodile.  "Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  you  left  your  heart  back  there  in 
the  tree?" 

"That  is  what  I  mean,"  said  the  Monkey.     "If  you 


JATAKA  TALES 

want  my  heart,  we  must  go  back  to  the  tree  and  get  it. 
But  we  are  so  near  the  island  where  the  ripe  fruit  is, 
please  take  me  there  first." 

"No,  Monkey,"  said  the  Crocodile,  "I  '11  take  you 
straight  back  to  your  tree.  Never  mind  the  ripe  fruit. 
Get  your  heart  and  bring  it  to  me  at  once.  Then 
we  '11  see  about  going  to  the  island." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Monkey. 

But  no  sooner  had  he  jumped  onto  the  bank  of  the 
river  than — whisk!  up  he  ran  into  the  tree. 

From  the  topmost  branches  he  called  down  to  the 
Crocodile  in  the  water  below: 

"My  heart  is  way  up  here!  If  you  want  it,  come 
for  it,  come  for  it !" 

PART  II 

THE  Monkey  soon  moved  away  from  that  tree. 
He  wanted  to  get  away  from  the  Crocodile, 
so  that  he  might  live  in  peace. 
But  the  Crocodile  found  him,  far  down  the  river, 
living  in  another  tree. 

In  the  middle  of  the  river  was  an  island  covered 
with  fruit-trees. 

6 


THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  CROCODILE 

Half-way  between  the  bank  of  the  river  and  the 
island,  a  large  rock  rose  out  of  the  water.  The  Mon- 
key could  jump  to  the  rock,  and  then  to  the  island. 
The  Crocodile  watched  the  Monkey  crossing  from 
the  bank  of  the  river  to  the  rock,  and  then  to  the 
island. 

He  thought  to  himself,  "The  Monkey  will  stay  on 
the  island  all  day,  and  I  '11  catch  him  on  his  way  home 
at  night." 

The  Monkey  had  a  fine  feast,  while  the  Crocodile 
swam  about,  watching  him  all  day. 

Toward  night  the  Crocodile  crawled  out  of  the 
water  and  lay  on  the  rock,  perfectly  still. 

When  it  grew  dark  among  the  trees,  the  Monkey 
started  for  home.  He  ran  down  to  the  river  bank, 
and  there  he  stopped. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  the  rock?"  the  Monkey 
thought  to  himself.  "I  never  saw  it  so  high  before. 
The  Crocodile  is  lying  on  it!" 

But  he  went  to  the  edge  of  the  water  and  called: 
"Hello,  Rock!" 

No  answer. 

Then  he  called  again :     "Hello,  Rock !" 

Three  times  the  Monkey  called,  and  then  he  said: 

7 


JATAKA  TALES 

"Why  is  it,  Friend  Rock,  that  you  do  not  answer  me 
to-night?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  stupid  Crocodile  to  himself,  "the 
rock  answers  the  Monkey  at  night.  I'll  have  to  an- 
swer for  the  rock  this  time." 

So  he  answered :     "Yes,  Monkey!     What  is  it?" 

The  Monkey  laughed,  and  said :  "Oh,  it  *s  you, 
Crocodile,  is  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  Crocodile.  "I  am  waiting  here  for 
you.     I  am  going  to  eat  you." 

"You  have  caught  me  in  a  trap  this  time,"  said  the 
Monkey.  "There  is  no  other  way  for  me  to  go  home. 
Open  your  mouth  wide  so  I  can  jump  right  into  it." 


The  Monkey  jumped. 

8 


THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  CROCODILE 

Now  the  Monkey  well  knew  that  when  Crocodiles 
open  their  mouths  wide,  they  shut  their  eyes. 

While  the  Crocodile  lay  on  the  rock  with  his  mouth 
wide  open  and  his  eyes  shut,  the  Monkey  jumped. 

But  not  into  his  mouth!  Oh,  no!  He  landed  on 
the  top  of  the  Crocodile's  head,  and  then  sprang 
quickly  to  the  bank.     Up  he  whisked  into  his  tree. 

When  the  Crocodile  saw  the  trick  the  Monkey  had 
played  on  him,  he  said:  "Monkey,  you  have  great 
cunning.  You  know  no  fear.  I '11  let  you  alone  after 
this." 

"Thank  you,  Crocodile,  but  I  shall  be  on  the  watch 
for  you  just  the  same,"  said  the  Monkey. 


II 

HOW  THE  TURTLE  SAVED  HIS  OWN  LIFE 

A  KING  once  had  a  lake  made  in  the  courtyard 
for  the  young  princes  to  play  in.  They  swam 
about  in  it,  and  sailed  their  boats  and  rafts 
on  it.  One  day  the  king  told  them  he  had'  asked  the 
men  to  put  some  fishes  into  the  lake. 

Off  the  boys  ran  to  see  the  fishes.  Now,  along  with 
the  fishes,  there  was  a  Turtle.  The  boys  were  de- 
lighted with  the  fishes,  but  they  had  never  seen  a  Tur- 
tle, and  they  were  afraid  of  it,  thinking  it  was  a 
demon.  They  ran  back  to  their  father,  crying, 
"There  is  a  demon  on  the  bank  of  the  lake." 

The  king  ordered  his  men  to  catch  the  demon,  and 
to  bring  it  to  the  palace.  When  the  Turtle  was 
brought  in,  the  boys  cried  and  ran  away. 

The  king  was  very  fond  of  his  sons,  so  he  ordered 
the  men  who  had  brought  the  Turtle  to  kill  it. 

"How  shall  we  kill  it?"  they  asked. 

10 


HOW  THE  TURTLE  SAVED  HIS  LIFE 

"Pound  it  to  powder,"  said  some  one.     "Bake  it  in 
hot  coals,"  said  another. 


'Throw  the  thing  into  the  lake. 


So  one  plan  after  another  was  spoken  of.  Then  an 
old  man  who  had  always  been  afraid  of  the  water 
said:  "Throw  the  thing  into  the  lake  where  it  flows 
out  over  the  rocks  into  the  river.  Then  it  will  surely 
be  killed." 

When  the  Turtle  heard  what  the  old  man  said,  he 
thrust  out  his  head  and  asked:     "Friend,  what  have 

II 


» 


JATAKA  TALES 

I  done  that  you  should  do  such  a  dreadful  thing  as 
that  to  me?  The  other  plans  were  bad  enough,  but 
to  throw  me  into  the  lake!  Don't  speak  of  such  a 
cruel  thing!" 

When  the  king  heard  what  the  Turtle  said,  he  told 
his  men  to  take  the  Turtle  at  once  and  throw  it  into 
the  lake. 

The  Turtle  laughed  to  himself  as  he  slid  away  down 
the  river  to  his  old  home.  "Good!"  he  said,  "those 
people  do  not  know  how  safe  I  am  in  the  water!" 


12 


Ill 

THE  MEJRCHANT  OF  SERI 

THERE  was  once  a  merchant  of  Seri  who  sold 
brass  and  tinware.  He  went  from  town  to 
town,  in  company  with  another  man,  who  also 
sold  brass  and  tinware.  This  second  man  was  greedy, 
getting  all  he  could  for  nothing,  and  giving  as  little 
as  he  could  for  what  he  bought. 

When  they  went  into  a  town,  they  divided  the  streets 
between  them.  Each  man  went  up  and  down  the 
streets  he  had  chosen,  calling,  "Tinware  for  sale. 
Brass  for  sale."  People  came  out  to  their  door-steps, 
and  bought,  or  traded,  with  them. 

In  one  house  there  lived  a  poor  old  woman  and  her 
granddaughter.  The  family  had  once  been  rich,  but 
now  the  only  thing  they  had  left  of  all  their  riches  was 
a  golden  bowl.  The  grandmother  did  not  know  it 
was  a  golden  bowl,  but  she  had  kept  this  because  her 
husband  used  to  eat  out  of  it  in  the  old  days.     It 

13 


JATAKA  TALES 

stood  on  a  shelf  among  the  other  pots  and  pans,  and 
was  not  often  used. 


f^^ 


He  threw  the  bowl  on  the  ground. 

The  greedy  merchant  passed  this  house,  calHng, 
"Buy  my  water-jars!  Buy  my  pan»!"  The  grand- 
daughter said:  "Oh,  Grandmother,  do  buy  some- 
thing for  me !" 

"My  dear,"  said  the  old  woman,  "we  are  too  poor 
to  buy  anything.  I  have  not  anything  to  trade, 
even." 

"Grandmother,  see  what  the  merchant  will  give  for 
the  old  bowl.     We  do  not  use  that,  and  perhaps  he 

14 


THE  MERCHANT  OF  SERI 

will  take  it  and  give  us  something  we  want  for  it." 

The  old  woman  called  the  merchant  and  showed 
him  the  bowl,  saying,  "Will  you  take  this,  sir,  and 
give  the  little  girl  here  something  for  it?" 

The  greedy  man  took  the  bowl  and  scratched  its 
side  with  a  needle.  Thus  he  found  that  it  was  a 
golden  bowl.  He  hoped  he  could  get  it  for  nothing,  so 
he  said:  "What  is  this  worth?  Not  even  a  half- 
penny." He  threw  the  bowl  on  the  ground,  and  went 
away. 

By  and  by  the  other  merchant  passed  the  house. 
For  it  was  agreed  that  either  merchant  might  go 
through  any  street  which  the  other  had  left.  He 
called:  "Buy  my  water-jars!  Buy  my  tinware! 
Buy  my  brass !" 

The  little  girl  heard  him,  and  begged  her  grand- 
mother to  see  what  he  would  give  for  the  bowl. 

"My  child,"  said  the  grandmother,  "the  merchant 
who  was  just  here  threw  the  bowl  on  the  ground 
and  went  away.  I  have  nothing  else  to  offer  in 
trade." 

"But,  Grandmother,"  said  the  girl,  "that  was  a 
cross  man.  This  one  looks  pleasant.  Ask  him. 
Perhaps  he  '11  give  some  little  tin  dish." 

15 


JATAKA  TALES 

"Call  him,  then,  and  show  it  to  him,"  said  the  old 
woman. 

As  soon  as  the  merchant  took  the  bowl  in  his  hands, 
he  knew  it  was  of  gold.  He  said :  "All  that  I  have 
here  is  not  worth  so  much  as  this  bowl.  It  is  a  golden 
bowl.     I  am  not  rich  enough  to  buy  it." 

"But,  sir,  a  merchant  who  passed  here  a  few  mo- 
ments ago,  threw  it  on  the  ground,  saying  it  was  not 
worth  a  halfpenny,  and  he  went  away,"  said  the 
grandmother.  "It  was  worth  nothing  to  him.  If 
you  value  it,  take  it,  giving  the  little  girl  some  dish 
she  likes  for  it." 

But  the  merchant  would  not  have  it  so.  He  gave 
the  woman  all  the  money  he  had,  and  all  his  wares. 
"Give  me  but  eight  pennies,"  he  said. 

So  he  took  the  pennies,  and  left.  Going  quickly  to 
the  river,  he  paid  the  boatman  the  eight  pennies  to 
take  him  across  the  river. 

Soon  the  greedy  merchant  went  back  to  the  house 
where  he  had  seen  the  golden  bowl,  and  said :  "Bring 
that  bowl  to  me,  and  I  will  give  you  something  for  it." 

"No,"  said  the  grandmother.  "You  said  the  bowl 
was  worthless,  but  another  merchant  has  paid  a  great 
price  for  it,  and  taken  it  away." 

i6 


THE  MERCHANT  OF  SERI 


"It  is  a  golden  bowl." 

Then  the  greedy  merchant  was  angry,  crying  out, 
"Through  this  other  man  I  have  lost  a  small  fortune. 
That  bowl  was  of  gold." 

He  ran  down  to  the  riverside,  and,  seeing  the  other 
merchant  in  the  boat  out  in  the  river,  he  called: 
"Hallo,  Boatman !     Stop  your  boat !" 

But  the  man  in  the  boat  said:  "Don't  stop!"  So 
he  reached  the  city  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and 
lived  well  for  a  time  on  the^money  the  bowl  brought 
him. 


17 


IV 

THE  TURTLE  WHO  COULD  N'T  STOP 
TALKING 

A  TURTLE  lived  in  a  pond  at  the  foot  of  a  hill. 
Two  young  wild  Geese,  looking  for  food,  saw 
the  Turtle,  and  talked  with  him.  The  next 
day  the  Geese  came  again  to  visit  the  Turtle  and  they 
became  very  well  acquainted.  Soon  they  were  great 
friends. 

"Friend  Turtle,"  the  Geese  said  one  day,  "we  have 
a  beautiful  home  far  away.  We  are  going  to  fly  back 
to  it  to-morrow  It  will  be  a  long  but  pleasant  jour- 
ney.    Will  you  go  with  us?" 

"How  could  I  ?     I  have  no  wings,"  said  the  Turtle. 
"Oh,  we  will  take  you,  if  only  you  can  keep  your 
mouth  shut,  and  say  not  a  word  to  anybody,"  they 
said. 

"I  can  do  that,"  said  the  Turtle.  "Do  take  me  with 
you.     I  will  do  exactly  as  you  wish." 

i8 


THE  TALKING  TURTLE 

So  the  next  day-  the  Geese  brought  a  stick  and  they 
held  the  ends  of  it.     "Now  take  the  middle  of  this  in 


How  could  I  go  with  you  ?"  said  the  Turtle. 


your  mouth,  and  don't  say  a  word  until  we  reach 
home,"  they  said. 


The  Geese  sprang  into  the  air. 

The  Geese  then  sprang  into  the  air,  with  the  Turtle 
between  them,  holding  fast  to  the  stick. 

The  village  children  saw  the  two  Geese  flying  along 

19 


JATAKA  TALES 

with  the  Turtle  and  cried  out:  *'Oh,  see  the  Turtle 
up  in  the  air!  Look  at  the  Geese  carrying  a  Turtle 
by  a  stick!  Did  you  ever  see  anything  more  ridicu- 
lous in  your  life !" 

The  Turtle  looked  down  and  began  to  say,  "Well, 
and  if  my  friends  carry  me,  what  business  is  that  of 
yours?"  when  he  let  go,  and  fell  dead  at  the  feet  of 
the  children. 

As  the  two  Geese  flew  on,  they  heard  the  people  say, 
when  they  came  to  see  the  poor  Turtle,  "That  fellow 
could  not  keep  his  mouth  shut.  He  had  to  talk,  and 
so  lost  his  life." 


"Oh,  see  the  Turtle  up  in  the  air.' 
20 


V 
THE  OX  WHO  WON  THE  FORFEIT 

LONG  ago  a  man  owned  a  very  strong  Ox.  The 
owner  was  so  proud  of  his  Ox,  that  he  boasted 
to  every  man  he  met  about  how  strong  his  Ox 
was. 

One  day  the  owner  went  into  a  village,  and  said  to 
the  men  there:  "I  will  pay  a  forfeit  of  a  thousand 
pieces  of  silver  if  my  strong  Ox  cannot  draw  a  line  of 
one  hundred  wagons." 

The  men  laughed,  and  said :  "Very  well ;  bring 
your  Ox,  and  we  will  tie  a  hundred  wagons  in  a  line 
and  see  your  Ox  draw  them  along." 

So  the  man  brought  his  Ox  into  the  village.  A 
crowd  gathered  to  see  the  sight.  The  hundred  carts 
were  in  line,  and  the  strong  Ox  was  yoked  to  the  first 
wagon. 

Then  the  owner  whipped  his  Ox,  and  said:  "Get 
up,  you  wretch !     Get  along,  you  rascal !" 

21 


JATAKA  TALES 

But  the  Ox  had  never  been  talked  to  in  that  way, 
and  he  stood  still.  Neither  the  blows  nor  the  hard 
names  could  make  him  move. 

At  last  the  poor  man  paid  his  forfeit,  and  went  sadly 


1  "Get  along,  you  rascal." 

home.  There  he  threw  himself  on  his  bed  and  cried : 
"Why  did  that  strong  Ox  act  so?  Many  a  time  he 
has  moved  heavier  loads  easily.  Why  did  he  shame 
me  before  all  those  people?" 

At  last  he  got  up  and  went  about  his  work.     When 

22 


THE  OX  WHO  WON  THE  FORFEIT 

he  went  to  feed  the  Ox  that  night,  the  Ox  turned  to 
him  and  said :  "Why  did  you  whip  me  to-day  ?  You 
never  whipped  me  before.  Why  did  you  call  me 
'wretch'  and  'rascal'?  You  never  called  me  hard 
names  before." 

Then  the  man  said:  "I  will  never  treat  you  badly 
again.  I  am  sorry  I  whipped  you  and  called  you 
names.     I  will  never  do  so  any  more.     Forgive  me." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Ox.  "To-morrow  I  will  go 
into  the  village  and  draw  the  one  hundred  carts  for 
you.  You  have  always  been  a  kind  master  until  to- 
day.    To-morrow  you  shall  gain  what  you  lost." 

The  next  morning  the  owner  fed  the  Ox  well,  and 
hung  a  garland  of  flowers  about  his  neck.  When 
they  went  into  the  village  the  men  laughed  at  the  man 
again. 

They  said:  "Did  you  come  back  to  lose  more 
money  ?" 

"To-day  I  will  pay  a  forfeit  of  two  thousand  pieces 
of  silver  if  my  Ox  is  not  strong  enough  to  pull  the  one 
hundred  carts,"  said  the  owner. 

So  again  the  carts  were  placed  in  a  line,  and  the  Ox 
was  yoked  to  the  first.  A  crowd  came  to  watch  again. 
The  owner  said:     "Good  Ox,  show  how  strong  you 

23 


JATAKA  TALES 


A  garland  of  flowers  about  his  neck. 


are!  You  fine,  fine  creature!"  And  he  patted  his 
neck  and  stroked  his  sides. 

At  once  the  Ox  pulled  with  all  his  strength.  The 
carts  moved  on  until  the  last  cart  stood  where  the  first 
had  been. 

Then  the  crowd  shouted,  and  they  paid  back  the 
forfeit  the  man  had  lost,  saying:  "Your  Ox  is  the 
strongest  Ox  we  ever  saw." 

And  the  Ox  and  the  man  went  home,  happy. 


24 


VI 

THE  SANDY  ROAD 

ONCE  upon  a  time  a  merchant,  with  his  goods 
packed  in  many  carts,  came  to  a  desert.     He 
was  on  his  way  to  the  country  on  the  other 
side  of  the  desert. 

The  sun  shone  on  the  fine  sand,  making  it  as  hot  as 
the  top  of  a  stove.  No  man  could  walk  on  it  in  the 
sunlight.  But  at  night,  after  the  sun  went  down,  the 
sand  cooled,  and  then  men  could  travel  upon  it. 

So  the  merchant  waited  until  after  dark,  and  then 
set  out.  Besides  the  goods  that  he  was  going  to  sell, 
he  took  jars  of  water  and  of  rice,  and  firewood,  so  that 
the  rice  could  be  cooked. 

All  night  long  he  and  his  men  rode  on  and  on.  One 
man  was  the  pilot.  He  rode  first,  for  he  knew  the 
stars,  and  by  them  he  guided  the  drivers. 

At  daybreak  they  stopped  and  camped.  They  un- 
yoked the  oxen,  and  fed  them.     They  built  fires  and 

25 


JATAKA  TALES 

cooked  the  'rice.  Then  they  spread  a  great  awning 
over  all  the  carts  and  the  oxen,  and  the  men  lay  down 
under  it  to  rest  until  sunset. 


They  built  fires  and  cooked  the  rice. 


In  the  early  evening,  they  again  built  fires  and 
cooked  rice.  After  supper,  they  folded  the  awning 
and  put  it  away.  They  yoked  the  oxen,  and,  as  soon 
as  the  sand  was  cool,  they  started  again  on  their  jour- 
ney across  the  desert. 

Night  after  night  they  traveled  in  this  way,  resting 
during  the  heat  of  the  day.  At  last  one  morning  the 
pilot  said:     "In  one  more  night  we  shall  get  out  of 

26 


THE  SANDY  ROAD 

the  sand."  The  men  were  glad  to  hear  this,  for  they 
were  tired. 

After  supper  that  night  the  merchant  said :  "You 
may  as  well  throw  away  nearly  all  the  water  and  the 
firewood.  By  to-morrow  we  shall  be  in  the  city. 
Yoke  the  oxen  and  start  on." 

Then  the  pilot  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  line. 
But,  instead  of  sitting  up  and  guiding  the  drivers, 
he  lay  down  in  the  wagon  on  the  cushions.  Soon  he 
was  fast  asleep,  because  he  had  not  slept  for  many 
nights,  and  the  light  had  been  so  strong  in  the  day- 
time that  he  had  not  slept  well  then. 

All  night  long  the  oxen  went  on.  Near  daybreak, 
the  pilot  awoke  and  looked  at  the  last  stars  fading 
in  the  light.  "Halt !"  he  called  to  the  drivers.  "We 
are  in  the  same  place  where  we  were  yesterday.  The 
oxen  must  have  turned  about  while  I  slept." 

They  unyoked  the  oxen,  but  there  was  no  water 
for  them  to  drink.  They  had  thrown  away  the  water 
that  was  left  the  night  before.  So  the  men  spread 
the  awning  over  the  carts,  and  the  oxen  lay  down, 
tired  and  thirsty.  The  men,  too,  lay  down  saying, 
"The  wood  and  water  are  gone — we  are  lost." 

But  the  merchant  said  to  himself,  "This  is  no  time 

27 


/ 


JATAKA  TALES 

for  me  to  sleep.  I  must  find  water.  The  oxen  can- 
not go  on  if  they  do  not  have  water  to  drink.  The 
men  must  have  water.  They  cannot  cook  the  rice 
unless  they  have  water.  If  I  give  up,  we  shall  all  be 
lost!" 


"There  must  be  water  somewhere  below." 


On  and  on  he  walked,  keeping  close  watch  of  the 
ground.  At  last  he  saw  a  tuft  of  grass.  "There 
must  be  water  somewhere  below,  or  that  grass  would 
not  be  there,"  he  said. 

He  ran  back,  shouting  to  the  men,  "Bring  the  spade 
and  the  hammer !" 

28 


THE  SANDY  ROAD 

They  jumped  up,  and  ran  with  him  to  the  spot 
where  the  grass  grew.  They  began  to  dig,  and  by 
and  by  they  struck  a  rock  and  could  dig  no  further. 
Then  the  merchant  jumped  down  into  the  hole  they 
had  dug,  and  put  his  ear  to  the  rock.  "I  hear  water 
running  under  this  rock,"  he  called  to  them.  "We 
must  not  give  up !"  Then  the  merchant  came  up  out 
of  the  hole  and  said  to  a  serving-lad:  "My  boy,  if 
you  give  up  we  are  lost !     You  go  down  and  try !" 

The  boy  stood  up  straight  and  raised  the  hammer 
high  above  his  head  and  hit  the  rock  as  hard  as  ever 
he  could.  He  would  not  give  in.  They  must  be 
saved.  Down  came  the  hammer.  This  time  the 
rock  broke.  And  the  boy  had  hardly  time  to  get  out 
of  the  well  before  it  was  full  of  cool  water.  The  men 
drank  as  if  they  never  could  get  enough,  Lxid  then  they 
watered  the  oxen,  and  bathed. 

Then  they  split  up  their  extra  yokes  and  axles,  and 
built  a  fire,  and  cooked  their  rice.  Feeling  better, 
they  rested  through  the  day.  They  set  up  a  flag  on 
the  well  for  travelers  to  see. 

At  sundown,  they  started  on  again,  and  the  next 
morning  reached  the  city,  where  they  sold  the  goods, 
and  then  returned  home. 

29 


VII 

THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  QUAILS 

ONCE  upon  a  time  many  quails  lived  together 
in  a  forest.  The  wisest  of  them  all  was  their 
leader. 
A  man  lived  near  the  forest  and  earned  his  living 
by  catching  quails  and  selling  them.  Day  after  day 
he  listened  to  the  note  of  the  leader  calling  the  quails. 
By  and  by  this  man,  the  fowler,  was  able  to  call  the 
quails  together.  Hearing  the  note  the  quails  thought 
it  was  their  leader  who  called. 

When  they  were  crowded  together,  the  fowler 
threw  his  net  over  them  and  off  he  went  into  the  town, 
where  he  soon  sold  all  the  quails  that  he  had  caught. 
The  wise  leader  saw  the  plan  of  the  fowler  for 
catching  the  quails.  He  called  the  birds  to  him  and 
said,  "This  fowler  is  carrying  away  so  many  of  us, 
we  must  put  a  stop  to  it.  I  have  thought  of  a  plan; 
it  is  this:     The  next  time  the  fowler  throws  a  net 

30 


THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  QUAILS 

over  you,  each  of  you  must  put  your  head  through 
one  of  the  Httle  holes  in  the  net.  Then  all  of  you 
together  must  fly  away  to  the  nearest  thorn-bush. 
You  can  leave  the  net  on  the  thorn-bush  and  be  free 
yourselves." 

The  quails  said  that  was  a  very  good  plan  and  they 
would  try  it  the  next  time  the  fowler  threw  the  net 
over  them. 

The  very  next  day  the  fowler  came  and  called  them 
together.  Then  he  threw  the  net  over  them.  The 
quails  lifted  the  net  and  flew  away  with  it  to  the 
nearest  thorn-bush  where  they  left  it.  They  flew 
back  to  their  leader  to  tell  him  how  well  his  plan  had 
worked. 

The  fowler  was  busy  until  evening  getting  his  net 
o"i  the  thorns  and  he  went  home  empty-handed.  The 
nex  day  the  same  thing  happened,  and  the  next. 
His  V  :fe  was  angry  because  he  did  not  bring  home 
any  money,  but  the  fowler  said,  "The  fact  is  those 
quails  are  working  together  now.  The  moment  my 
net  is  over  them,  off  they  fly  with  it,  leaving  it  on  a 
thorn-bush.  As  soon  as  the  quails  begin  to  quarrel  I 
shall  be  able  to  catch  them." 

Not  long  after  this,  one  of  the  quails  in  alighting 

31 


JATAKA  TALES 

on  their  feeding  ground,  trod  by  accident  on  another's 
head.  "Who  trod  on  my  head?"  angrily  cried  the 
second.     "I  did;  but  I  didn't  mean  to.     Don't  be 


The  quails  lifted  the  net  and  flew  away  with  it. 

angry,"  said  the  first  quail,  but  the  second  quail  was 
angry  and  said  mean  things. 

32 


THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  QUAILS 

Soon  all  the  quails  had  taken  sides  in  this  quarrel. 
When  the  fowler  came  that  day  he  flung  his  net  over 
them,  and  this  time  instead  of  flying  off  with  it,  one 
side  said,  "Now,  you  lift  the  net,"  and  the  other  side 
said,  ''Lift  it  yourself." 

"You  try  to  make  us  lift  it  all,"  said  the  quails  on 
one  side.  "No,  we  don't !"  said  the  others,  "you  begin 
and  we  will  help,"  but  neither  side  began. 

So  the  quails  quarreled,  and  while  they  were  quar- 
reling the  fowler  caught  them  all  in  his  net.  He  took 
them  to  town  and  sold  them  for  a  good  price. 


The  fowler  caught  them  all  in  his  net. 


33 


viir 

THE  MEASURE  OF  RICE 

AT  one  time  a  dishonest  king  had  a  man  called 
the  Valuer  in  his  court.  The  Valuer  set  the 
price  which  ought  to  be  paid  for  horses  and 
elephants  and  the  other  animals.  He  also  set  the 
price  on  jewelry  and  gold,  and  things  of  that  kind. 

This  man  was  honest  and  just,  and  set  the  proper 
price  to  be  paid  to  the  owners  of  the  goods. 

The  king  was  not  pleased  with  this  Valuer,  because 
he  was  honest.  "If  I  had  another  sort  of  a  man  as 
Valuer,  I  might  gain  more  riches,"  he  thought. 

One  day  the  king  saw  a  stupid,  miserly  peasant 
come  into  the  palace  yard.  The  king  sent  for  the 
fellow  and  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  be  the  Valuer. 
The  peasant  said  he  would  like  the  position.  So  the 
king  had  him  made  Valuer.  He  sent  the  honest 
Valuer  away  from  the  palace. 

Then  the  peasant  began  to  set  the  prices  on  horses 

34 


THE  MEASURE  OF  RICE 


So  they  went  before  the  king. 

and  elephants,  upon  gold  and  jewels.  He  did  not 
know  their  value,  so  he  would  say  anything  he  chose. 
As  the  king  had  made  him  Valuer,  the  people  had  to 
sell  their  goods  for  the  price  he  set. 

By  and  by  a  horse-dealer  brought  five  hundred 
horses  to  the  court  of  this  king.  The  Valuer  came 
and  said  they  were  worth  a  mere  measure  of  rice. 
So  the  king  ordered  the  horse-dealer  to  be  given  the 
measure  of  rice,  and  the  horses  to  be  put  in  the  palace 
stables. 

35 


JATAKA  TALES 

The  horse-dealer  went  then  to  see  the  honest  man 
who  had  been  the  Valuer,  and  told  him  what  had  hap- 
pened. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  asked  the  horse-dealer. 

"I  think  you  can  give  a  present  to  the  Valuer  which 
will  make  him  do  and  say  what  you  want  him  to  do 
and  say,"  said  the  man,  *'Go  to  him  and  give  him 
a  fine  present,  then  say  to  him :  *  You  said  the  horses 
are  worth  a  measure  of  rice,  but  now  tell  what  a  meas- 
ure of  rice  is  worth!  Can  you  value  that  standing 
in  your  place  by  the  king?'  If  he  says  he  can,  go 
with  him  to  the  king,  and  I  will  be  there,  too." 

The  horse-dealer  thought  this  was  a  good  idea. 
So  he  took  a  fine  present  to  the  Valuer,  and  said  what 
the  other  man  had  told  him  to  say. 

The  Valuer  took  the  present,  and  said:  "Yes,  I 
can  go  before  the  king  with  you  and  tell  what  a  meas- 
ure of  rice  is  worth.     I  can  value  that  now." 

"Well,  let  us  go  at  once,"  said  the  horse-dealer.  So 
they  went  before  the  king  and  his  ministers  in  the 
palace. 

The  horse-dealer  bowed  down  before  the  king,  and 
said:  "O  King,  I  have  learned  that  a  measure  of 
rice  is  the  value  of  my  five  hundred  horses.     But  will 

36 


THE  MEASURE  OF  RICE 

the  king  be  pleased  to  ask  the  Valuer  what  is  the  value 
of  the  measure  of  rice  ?" 


He  ran  away  from  the  laughing  crowd. 


The  king,  not  knowing  what  had  happened,  asked: 
"How  now,  Valuer,  what  are  five  hundred  horses 
worth  ?" 

"A  measure  of  rice,  O  King!"  said  he. 

"Very  good,  then!  If  five  hundred  horses  are 
worth  a  measure  of  rice,  what  is  the  measure  of  rice 
worth  ?" 

"The  measure  of  rice  is  worth  your  whole  city," 
replied  the  foolish  fellow. 

Z7 


JATAKA  TALES 

The  ministers  clapped  their  hands,  laughing,  and 
saying,  *'What  a  foolish  Valuer!  How  can  such  a 
man  hold  that  office?  We  used  to  think  this  great 
city  was  beyond  price,  but  this  man  says  it  is  worth 
only  a  measure  of  rice." 

Then  the  king  was  ashamed,  and  drove  out  the  fool- 
ish fellow. 

'  "I  tried  to  please  the  king  by  setting  a  low  price 
on  the  horses,  and  now  see  what  has  happen^'^  to 
me !"  said  the  Valuer,  as  he  ran  away  from  the  laugh- 
ing crowd. 


38 


IX 


THE  FOOLISH,  TIMID  RABBIT 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  a 
Rabbit  was  asleep 
under    a    palm-tree. 

All  at  once  he  woke  up, 
and  thought:  "What  if  the 
world  should  break  up! 
What  then  would  become  of 
me?" 

At  that  moment,  some 
Monkeys  dropped  a  cocoa- 
nut.  It  fell  down  on  the 
ground  just  back  of  the 
Rabbit. 

Hearing  the  noise,  the 
Rabbit  said  to  himself :  "The 
earth  is  all  breaking  up !" 

And  he  jumped  up  and 
ran  just  as  fast  as  he  could,  without  even  looking  back 
to  see  what  made  the  noise. 

39 


He  jumped  up  and  raw. 


JATAKA  TALES 

Another  Rabbit  saw  him  running,  and  called  after 
him,  "What  are  you  running  so  fast  for  ?" 

"Don't  ask  me !"  he  cried. 

But  the  other  Rabbit  ran  after  him,  begging  to  know 
what  was  the  matter. 


The  lion 

Then  the  first  Rabbit  said:  "Don't  you  know? 
The  earth  is  all  breaking  up !" 

And  on  he  ran,  and  the  second  Rabbit  ran  with  him. 

The  next  Rabbit  they  met  ran  with  them  when  he 
heard  that  the  earth  was  all  breaking  up. 

One  Rabbit  after  another  joined  them,  until  there 
were  hundreds  of  Rabbits  running  as  fast  as  they 
could  go. 

40 


THE  FOOLISH,  TIMID  RABBIT 

They  passed  a  Deer,  calling  out  to  him  that  the 
earth  was  all  breaking  up.  The  Deer  then  ran  with 
them. 


Saw  the  animals  running. 

The  Deer  called  to  a  Fox  to  come  along  because  the 
earth  was  all  breaking  up. 

On  and  on  they  ran,  and  an  Elephant  joined  them. 

At  last  the  Lion  saw  the  animals  running,  and  heard 
their  cry  that  the  earth  was  all  breaking  up. 

He  thought  there  must  be  some  mistake,  so  he  ran 
to  the  foot  of  a  hill  in  front  of  them  and  roared  three 
times. 

41 


JATAKA  TALES 

This  stopped  them,  for  they  knew  the  voice  of  the 
King  of  Beasts,  and  they  feared  him. 

"Why  are  you  running  so  fast  ?"  asked  the  Lion. 

"Oh,  King  Lion,"  they  answered  him,  "the  earth  is 
all  breaking  up !" 

"Who  saw  it  breaking  up  ?"  asked  the  Lion. 

"I  did  n't,"  said  the  Elephant.  "Ask  the  Fox— he 
told  me  about  it." 

"I  did  n't,"  said  the  Fox. 

"The  Rabbits  told  me  about  it,"  said  the  Deer. 

One  after  another  of  the  Rabbits  said :  "I  did  not 
see  it,  but  another  Rabbit  told  me  about  it." 

At  last  the  Lion  came  to  the  Rabbit  who  had  first 
said  the  earth  was  all  breaking  up. 

"Is  it  true  that  the  earth  is  all  breaking  up?"  the 
Lion  asked. 

"Yes,  O  Lion,  it  is,"  said  the  Rabbit.  "I  was  asleep 
under  a  palm-tree.  I  woke  up  and  thought,  'What 
would  become  of  me  if  the  earth  should  all  break  up?' 
At  that  very  moment,  I  heard  the  sound  of  the  earth 
breaking  up,  and  I  ran  away." 

"Then,"  said  the  Lion,  "you  and  I  will  go  back  to 
the  place  where  the  earth  began  to  break  up,  and  see 
what  is  the  matter." 

42 


THE  FOOLISH,  TIMID  RABBIT 

So  the  Lion  put  the  little  Rabbit  on  his  back,  and 
away  they  went  like  the  wind.  The  other  animals 
waited  for  them  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

The  Rabbit  told  the  Lion  when  they  were  near  the 
place  where  he  slept,  and  the  Lion  saw  just  where  the 
Rabbit  had  been  sleeping. 

He  saw,  too,  the  cocoanut  that  had  fallen  to  the 
ground  near  by.  Then  the  Lion  said  to  the  Rabbit, 
"It  must  have  been  the  sound  of  the  cocoanut  falling 
to  the  ground  that  you  heard.     You  foolish  Rabbit!" 

And  the  Lion  ran  back  to  the  other  animals,  and 
told  them  all  about  it. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  the  wise  King  of  Beasts,  they 
might  be  running  still. 


Away  they  went  like  the  wind. 

43 


X 

THE  WISE  AND  THE  FOOLISH  MER- 
CHANT 

ONCE  upon  a  time  in  a  certain  country  a 
I  thrifty  merchant  visited  a  great  city  and 
bought  a  great  supply  of  goods.  He  loaded 
wagons  with  the  goods,  which  he  was  going  to  sell  as 
he  traveled  through  the  country. 

A  stupid  young  merchant  was  buying  goods  in  the 
same  city.  He,  too,  was  going  to  sell  what  he  bought 
as  he  traveled  through  the  country. 

They  were  both  ready  to  start  at  the  same  time. 
The  thrifty  merchant  thought,  "We  cannot  travel 
together,  for  the  men  will  find  it  hard  to  get  wood 
and  water,  and  there  will  not  be  enough  grass  for 
so  many  oxen.     Either  he  or  I  ought  to  go  first." 

So  he  went  to  the  young  man  and  told  him  this,  say- 
ing, "Will  you  go  before  or  come  on  after  me  ?" 

The  other  one  thought,  *Tt  will  be  better  for  me  to 
go  first.  I  shall  then  travel  on  a  road  that  is  not 
cut  up.     The  oxen  will  eat  grass  that  has  not  been 

44 


WISE  AND  FOOLISH  MERCHANT 

touched.  The  water  will  be  clean.  Also,  I  shall  sell 
my  goods  at  what  price  I  like."  So  he  said,  'Triend, 
I  will  go  on  first." 

This  answer  pleased  the  thrifty  merchant.  He  said 
to  himself,  "Those  who  go  before  will  make  the  rough 
places  smooth.  The  old  rank  grass  will  have  been 
eaten  by  the  oxen  that  have  gone  before,  while  my 
oxen  will  eat  the  freshly  grown  tender  shoots.  Those 
who  go  before  will  dig  wells  from  which  we  shall 
drink.  Then,  too,  I  will  not  have  to  bother  about 
setting  prices,  but  I  can  sell  my  goods  at  the  prices 
set  by  the  other  man."  So  he  said  aloud,  "Very  well, 
friend,  you  may  go  on  first." 

At  once  the  foolish  merchant  started  on  his  journey. 
Soon  he  had  left  the  city  and  was  in  the  country.  By 
and  by  he  came  to  a  desert  which  he  had  to  cross. 
So  he  filled  great  water-jars  with  water,  loaded 
them  into  a  large  wagon  and  started  across  the 
desert. 

Now  on  the  sands  of  this  desert  there  lived  a  wicked 
demon.  This  demon  saw  the  foolish  young  merchant 
coming  and  thought  to  himself,  "If  I  can  make  him 
empty  those  water-jars,  soon  I  shall  be  able  to  over- 
come him  and  have  him  in  my  power." 

45 


JATAKA  TALES 

So  the  demon  went  further  along  the  road  and 
changed  himself  into  the  likeness  of  a  noble  gentle- 
man. He  called  up  a  beautiful  carriage,  drawn  by 
milk-white  oxen.  Then  he  called  ten  other  demons, 
dressed  them  like  men  and  armed  them  with  bows  and 
arrows,  swords  and  shields.  Seated  in  his  carriage, 
followed  by  the  ten  demons,  he  rode  back  to  meet  the 
merchant.  He  put  mud  on  the  carriage  wheels,  hung 
water-lilies  and  wet  grasses  upon  the  oxen  and  the 
carriage.  Then  he  made  the  clothes  the  demons  wore 
and  their  hair  all  wet.  Drops  of  water  trickled  down 
over  their  faces  just  as  if  they  had  all  come  through 
a  stream. 

As  the  demons  neared  the  foolish  merchant  they 
turned  their  carriage  to  one  side  of  the  way,  saying 
pleasantly,  "Where  are  you  going?" 

The  merchant  rephed,  "We  have  come  from  the 
great  city  back  there  and  are  going  across  the  desert 
to  the  villages  beyond.  You  come  dripping  with  mud 
and  carrying  water-lilies  and  grasses.  Does  it  rain 
on  the  road  you  have  come  by?  Did  you  come 
through  a  stream?" 

The  demon  answered,  "The  dark  streak  across  the 
sky  is  a  forest.     In  it  there  are  ponds  full  of  water- 

46 


/ 


; 


JATAKA  TALES 

lilies.  The  rains  come  often.  What  have  you  in  all 
those  carts  ?" 

''Goods  to  be  sold,"  replied  the  merchant. 

"But  in  that  last  big  heavy  wagon  what  do  you 
carry?"  the  demon  asked. 

*'Jars  full  of  water  for  the  journey,"  answered  the 
merchant. 

The  demon  said,  "You  have  done  well  to  bring 
water  as  far  as  this,  but  there  is  no  need  of  it  beyond. 
Empty  out  all  that  water  and  go  on  easily."  Then 
he  added,  "But  we  have  delayed  too  long.  Drive  on !" 
And  he  drove  on  until  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the  mer- 
chant. Then  he  returned  to  his  home  with  his  fol- 
lowers to  wait  for  the  night  to  come. 

The  foolish  merchant  did  as  the  demon  bade  him  and 
emptied  every  jar,  saving  not  even  a  cupful.  On  and 
on  they  traveled  and  the  streak  on  the  sky  faded  with 
the  sunset.  There  was  no  forest,  the  dark  line  being 
only  clouds.  No  water  was  to  be  found.  The  men 
had  no  water  to  drink  and  no  food  to  eat,  for  they 
had  no  water  in  which  to  cook  their  rice,  so  they  went 
thirsty  and  supperless  to  bed.  The  oxen,  too,  were 
hungry  and  thirsty  and  dropped  down  to  sleep  here 
and  there.     Late  at  night  the  demons  fell  upon  them 

48 


WISE  AND  FOOLISH  MERCHANT 

and  easily  carried  off  every  man.  They  drove  the 
oxen  on  ahead  of  them,  but  the  loaded  carts  they  did 
not  care  to  take  away. 

A  month  and  a  half  after  this  the  wise  merchant 
followed  over  the  same  road.  He,  too,  was  met  on 
the  desert  by  the  demon  just  as  the  other  had  been. 
But  the  wise  man  knew  the  man  was  a  demon  because 
he  cast  no  shadow.  When  the  demon  told  him  of  the 
ponds  in  the  forest  ahead  and  advised  him  to  throw 
away  the  water-jars  the  wise  merchant  replied,  "We 
don't  throw  away  the  water  we  have  until  we  get  to 
a  place  where  we  see  there  is  more." 

Then  the  demon  drove  on.  But  the  men  who  were 
with  the  merchant  said,  "Sir!  those  men  told  us  that 
yonder  was  the  beginning  of  a  great  forest,  and  from 
there  onwards  it  was  always  raining.  Their  clothes 
and  hair  were  dripping  with  water.  Let  us  throw 
away  the  water-jars  and  go  on  faster  with  lighter 
carts !" 

Stopping  all  the  carts  the  wise  merchant  asked  the 
men,  "Have  you  ever  heard  any  one  say  that  there 
was  a  lake  or  pond  in  this  desert?  You  have  lived 
near  here  always." 

"We  never  heard  of  a  pond  or  lake,"  they  said. 
^  49 


JATAKA  TALES 


"Does  any  man  feel  a  wind  laden  with  dampness 
blowing"  against  him?'*  he  asked. 

"No,  sir,"  they  answered. 

"Can  you  see  a  rain  ploud,  any  of  you  ?"  said  he. 

"No,  sir,  not  one,"  they  said. 

"Those  fellows  were  not  men,  they  were  demons !" 
said  the  wise  merchant.  "They  must  have  come  out 
to  make  us  throw  away  the  water.  Then  when  we 
were  faint  and  weak  they  might  have  put  an  end  to 
us.  Go  on  at  once  and  don't  throw  away  a  single 
half-pint  of  water." 


He  himself  with  the  head  men  stood  on  gfuard. 

SO 


WISE  AND  FOOLISH  MERCHANT 

So  they  drove  on  and  before  nightfall  they  came 
upon  the  loaded  wagons  belonging  to  the  foolish  mer- 
chant. 

Then  the  thrifty  merchant  had  his  wagons  drawn 
up  in  a  circle.  In  the  middle  of  the  circle  he  had  the 
oxen  lie  down,  and  also  some  of  the  men.  He  him- 
self with  the  head  men  stood  on  guard,  swords  in  hand 
and  waited  for  the  demons.  But  the  demons  did  not 
bother  them.  Early  the  next  day  the  thrifty  mer- 
chant took  the  best  of  the  wagons  left  by  the  foolish 
merchant  and  went  on  safely  to  the  city  across  the 
desert. 

There  he  sold  all  the  goods  at  a  profit  and  returned 
with  his  company  to  his  own  city. 


51 


XI 

THE  ELEPHANT  GIRLY-FACE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  a  king  had  an  Elephant 
named  Girly-face.  The  Elephant  was  called 
Girly-face  because  he  was  so  gentle  and  good 
and  looked  so  kind.  "Girly-face  never  hurts  any- 
body," the  keeper  of  the  Elephants  often  said. 

Now  one  night  some  robbers  came  into  the  court- 
yard and  sat  on  the  ground  just  outside  the  stall  where 
Girly-face  slept.  The  talk  of  the  robbers  awoke  Girly- 
face. 

"This  is  the  way  to  break  into  a  house,"  they  said. 
"Once  inside  the  house  kill  any  one  who  wakens.  A 
robber  must  not  be  afraid  to  kill.  A  robber  must  be 
cruel  and  have  no  pity.  He  must  never  be  good,  even 
for  a  moment." 

Girly-face  said  to  himself,  "Those  men  are  teach- 
ing me  how  I  should  act.  I  will  be  cruel.  I  will 
show  no  pity.  I  will  not  be  good — not  even  for  a  mo- 
ment." 

52 


Bt-j/ft)WH 


He  picked  him  up  in  his  trunk  and  threw  the  poor  keeper  to  the  ground. 

54 


THE  ELEPHANT  GIRLY-FACE 

So  the  next  morning  when  the  keeper  came  to  feed 
Girly-face  he  picked  him  up  in  his  trunk  and  threw 
the  poor  keeper  to  the  ground,  kilHng  him. 

Another  keeper  ran  to  see  what  the  trouble  was, 
and  Girly-face  killed  him,  too. 

For  days  and  days  Girly-face  was  so  ugly  that  no 
one  dared  go  near.  The  food  was  left  for  him,  but 
no  man  would  go  near  him. 

By  and  by  the  king  heard  of  this  and  sent  one  of  his 
wise  men  to  find  out  what  ailed  Girly-face. 

The  wise  man  had  known  Girly-face  a  long  time. 
He  looked  the  Elephant  over  carefully  and  could  find 
nothing  that  seemed  to  be  the  matter. 

He  thought  at  last,  ''Girly-face  must  have  heard 
some  bad  men  talking.  Have  there  been  any  bad 
men  talking  about  here  ?"  asked  the  wise  man. 

"Yes,"  one  of  the  keepers  said,  *'a  band  of  robbers 
were  caught  here  a  few  weeks  ago.  They  had  met 
in  the  yard  to  talk  over  their  plans.  They  were 
talking  together  near  the  stall  where  Girly-face 
sleeps." 

So  the  wise  man  went  back  to  the  king.  Said  he, 
"I  think  Girly-face  has  been  listening  to  bad  talk. 
If  you  will  send  some  good  men  to  talk  where  Girly- 

55 


THE  ELEPHANT  GIRLY-FACE 

face  can  hear  them  I  think  he  will  be  a  good  Elephant 
once  more." 

So  that  night  the  king  sent  a  company  of  the  best 
men  to  be  found  to  sit  and  talk  near  the  stall  where 
Girly-face  lived.  They  said  to  one  another,  "It  is 
wrong  to  hurt  any  one.  It  is  wrong  to  kill.  Every 
one  should  be  gentle  and  good." 

"Now  those  men  are  teaching  me,"  thought  Girly- 
face.  "I  must  be  gentle  and  good.  I  must  hurt  no 
one.  I  must  not  kill  any  one."  And  from  that  time 
on  Girly-face  was  tame  and  as  good  as  ever  an  Ele- 
phant could  be. 


57 


.  XII 

THE  BANYAN  DEER 

THERE  was  once  a  Deer  the  color  of  gold.  His 
eyes  were  like  round  jewels,  his  horns  were 
white  as  silver,  his  mouth  was  red  like  a 
flower,  his  hoofs  were  bright  and  hard.  He  had  a 
large  body  and  a  fine  tail. 

He  lived  in  a  forest  and  was  king  of  a  herd  of  five 
hundred  Banyan  Deer.  Near  by  lived  another  herd 
of  Deer,  called  the  Monkey  Deer.  They,  too,  had  a 
king. 

The  king  of  that  country  was  fond  of  hunting  the 
Deer  and  eating  deer  meat.  He  did  not  like  to  go 
alone  so  he  called  the  people  of  his  town  to  go-with 
him,  day  after  day. 

The  townspeople  did  not  like  this  for  while  they 
were  gone  no  one  did  their  work.  So  they  decided 
to  make  a  park  and  drive  the  Deer  into  it.  Then  the 
king  could  go  into  the  park  and  hunt  and  they  could 
go  on  with  their  daily  work. 

58 


BANYAN  DEER 

They  made  a  park,  planted  grass  in  it  and  provided 
water  for  the  Deer,  built  a  fence  all  around  it  and 
drove  the  Deer  into  it. 

Then  they  shut  the  gate  and  went  to  the  king  to 
tell  him  that  in  the  park  near  by  he  could  find  all  the 
Deer  he  wanted. 

The  king  went  at  once  to  look  at  the  Deer.  First 
he  saw  there  the  two  Deer  kings,  and  granted  them 
their  lives.     Then  he  looked  at  their  great  herds. 

Some  days  the  king  would  go  to  hunt  the  Deer, 
sometimes  his  cook  would  go.  As  soon  as  any  of  the 
Deer  saw  them  they  would  shake  with  fear  and  run. 
But  when  they  had  been  hit  once  or  twice  they  would 
drop  down  dead. 

The  King  of  the  Banyan  Deer  sent  for  the  King  of 
the  Monkey  Deer  and  said,  ''Friend,  many  of  the  Deer 
are  being  killed.  Many  are  wounded  besides  those 
who  are  killed.  After  this  suppose  one  from  my  herd 
goes  up  to  be  killed  one  day,  and  the  next  day  let  one 
from  your  herd  go  up.  Fewer  Deer  will  be  lost  this 
way." 

The  Monkey  Deer  agreed.  Each  day  the  Deer 
whose  turn  it  was  would  go  and  lie  down,  placing  its 

59 


BANYAN  DEER 

head  on  the  block.     The  cook  would  come  and  carry- 
off  the  one  he  found  lying  there. 

One  day  the  lot  fell  to  a  mother  Deer  who  had  a 
young  baby.  She  went  to  her  king  and  said,  "O  King 
of  the  Monkey  Deer,  let  the  turn  pass  me  by  until  my 
baby  is  old  enough  to  get  along  without  me.  Then  I 
will  go  and  put  my  head  on  the  block." 

But  the  king  did  not  help  her.  He  told  her  that 
if  the  lot  had  fallen  to  her  she  must  die. 

Then  she  went  to  the  King  of  the  Banyan  Deer  and 
asked  him  to  save  her. 

"Go  back  to  your  herd.  I  will  go  in  your  place," 
said  he. 

The  next  day  the  cook  found  the  King  of  the  Ban- 
yan Deer  lying  with  his  head  on  the  block.  The  cook 
went  to  the  king,  who  came  himself  to  find  out  about 
this. 

"King  of  the  Banyan  Deer!  did  I  not  grant  you 
your  life  ?    Why  are  you  lying  here  ?" 

"O  great  King!"  said  the  King  of  the  Banyan  Deer, 
"a  mother  came  with  her  young  baby  and  told  me 
that  the  lot  had  fallen  to  her.  I  could  not  ask  any 
one  else  to  take  her  place,  so  I  came  myself." 

6i 


JATAKA  TALES 


Rise  up.    I  grant  your  life  and  hers. 

"King  of  the  Banyan  Deer !  I  never  saw  such  kind- 
ness and  mercy.  Rise  up.  I  grant  your  Hfe  and 
hers.  Nor  will  I  hunt  any  more  the  Deer  in  either 
park  or  forest." 


62 


XIII 
THE  PRINCES  AND  THE  WATER-SPRITE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  a  king  had  three  sons.  The 
'  first  was  called  Prince  of  the  Stars.  The  next 
was  called  the  Moon  Prince  and  the  third  was 
called  the  Sun  Prince.  The  king  was  so  very  happy 
when  the  third  son  was  born  that  he  promised  to  give 
the  queen  any  boon  she  might  ask. 

The  queen  kept  the  promise  in  mind,  waiting  until 
the  third  son  was  grown  before  asking  the  king  to 
give  her  the  boon. 

On  the  twenty-first  birthday  of  the  Sun  Prince  she 
said  to  the  king,  "Great  King,  when  our  youngest  child 
was  born  you  said  you  would  give  me  a  boon.  Now 
I  ask  you  to  give  the  kingdom  to  Sun  Prince." 

But  the  king  refused,  saying  that  the  kingdom  must 
go  to  the  oldest  son,  for  it  belonged  by  right  to  him. 
Next  it  would  belong  by  right  to  the  second  son,  and 
not  until  they  were  both  dead  could  the  kingdom  go  to 
the  third  son. 

63 


JATAKA  TALES 

The  queen  went  away,  but  the  king  saw  that  she 
was  not  pleased  with  his  answer.  He  feared  that  she 
would  do  harm  to  the  older  princes  to  get  them  out  of 
the  way  of  the  Sun  Prince. 

So  he  called  his  elder  sons  and  told  them  that  they 
must  go  and  live  in  the  forest  until  his  death.  *'Then 
come  back  and  reign  in  the  city  that  is  yours  by  right," 
he  said.  And  with  tears  he  kissed  them  on  the  fore- 
heads and  sent  them  away. 

As  they  were  going  down  out  of  the  palace,  after 
saying  good-by  to  their  father,  the  Sun  Prince  called 
to  them,  "Where  are  you  going?" 

And  when  he  heard  where  they  were  going  and 
why,  he  said,  "I  will  go  with  you,  my  brothers." 

So  off  they  started.  They  went  on  and  on  and  by 
and  by  they  reached  the  forest.  There  they  sat  down 
to  rest  in  the  shade  of  a  pond.  Then  the  eldest 
brother  said  to  Sun  Prince,  "Go  down  to  the  pond 
and  bathe  and  drink.  Then  bring  us  a  drink  while 
we  rest  here." 

Now  the  King  of  the  Fairies  had  given  this  pond 
to  a  water-sprite.  The  Fairy  King  had  said  to  the 
water-sprite,  "You  are  to  have  in  your  power  all  who 
go  down  into  the  water  except  those  who  give  the 

64 


PRINCES  AND  THE  WATER-SPRITE 

right  answer  to  one  question.  Those  who  give  the 
right  answer  will  not  be  in  your  power.  The  question 
is,  'What  are  the  Good  Fairies  like  ?' " 


The  Sun  Prince  went  into  the  pond. 

When  the  Sun  Prince  went  into  the  pond  the  water- 
sprite  saw  him  and  asked  him  the  question,  "What 
are  the  Good  Fairies  like  ?" 

"They  are  like  the  Sun  and  the  Moon,"  said  the  Sun 
Prince. 

"You  don't  know  what  the  Good  Fairies  are  like," 

65 


JATAKA  TALES 

cried  the  water-sprite,  and  he  carried  the  poor  boy- 
down  into  his  cave. 

By  and  by  the  eldest  brother  said,  "Moon  Prince, 
go  down  and  see  why  our  brother  stays  so  long  in  the 
pond!" 

As  soon  as  the  Moon  Prince  reached  the  water's 
edge  the  water-sprite  called  to  him  and  said,  "Tell  me 
what  the  Good  Fairies  are  like !" 

"Like  the  sky  above  us,"  replied  the  Moon  Prince. 

"You  don't  know,  either,"  said  the  water-sprite, 
and  dragged  the  Moon  Prince  down  into  the  cave 
where  the  Sun  Prince  sat. 

"Something  must  have  happened  to  those  two 
brothers  of  mine,"  thought  the  eldest.  So  he  went  to 
the  pond  and  saw  the  marks  of  the  footsteps  where 
his  brothers  had  gone  down  into  the  water.  Then 
he  knew  that  a  water-sprite  must  live  in  that  pond. 
He  girded  on  his  sword,  and  stood  with  his  bow  in 
his  hand. 

The  water-sprite  soon  came  along  in  the  form  of  a 
woodsman. 

"You  seem  tired.  Friend,"  he  said  to  the  prince. 
"Why  don't  you  bathe  in  the  lake  and  then  lie  on  the 
bank  and  rest?" 

66 


PRINCES  AND  THE  WATER-SPRITE 


Wi 


The  water-sprite  in  the  form  of  a  woodman. 


But  the  prince  knew  that  it  was  a  water-spfite  and 
he  said,  "You  have  carried  off  my  brothers !" 

"Yes/'  said  the  water-sprite. 

"Why  did  you  carry  them  off?"  * 

"Because  they  did  not  answer  my  question,"  said 
the  water-sprite,  "and  I  have  power  over  all  who  go 
down  into  the  water  except  those  who  do  give  the 
right  answer." 

6f 


,  -.     JATAKA  TALES 

"I  will  answer  your  question,"  said  the  eldest 
brother.     And  he  did.     "The  Good  Fairies  are  like 

The  pure  in  heart  who  fear  to  sin, 
The  good,  kindly  in  word  and  deed." 

"O  Wise  Prince,  I  will  bring  back  to  you  one  of 
your  brothers.  Which  shall  I  bring?"  said  the  water- 
sprite. 

**Bring  me  the  younger  one,"  said  the  prince.  "It 
was  on  his  account  that  our  father  sent  us  away.  I 
could  never  go  away  with  Moon  Prince  and  leave 
poor  Sun  Prince  here." 

"O  Wise  Prince,  you  know  what  the  good  should 
do  and  you  are  kind.  I  will  bring  back  both  your 
brothers,"  said  the  water-sprite. 

After  that  the  three  princes  lived  together  in  the 
forest  until  the  king  died.  Then  they  went  back  to 
the  palace.  The  eldest  brother  was  made  king  and 
he  had  his  brothers  rule  with  him.  He  also  built  a 
home  for  the  water-sprite  in  the  palace  grounds. 


68 


XIV 
THE  KING'S  WHITE  ELEPHANT 

^NCE  upon  a  time  a  number  of  carpenters  lived 
on  a  river  bank  near  a  large  forest.     Every- 
day the  carpenters  went  in  boats  to  the  forest 
to  cut  down  the  trees  and  make  them  into  lumber. 

One  day  while  they  were  at  work  an  Elephant  came 
limping  on  three  feet  to  them.  He  held  up  one  foot 
and  the  carpenters  saw  that  it  was  swollen  and  sore. 
Then  the  Elephant  lay  down  and  the  men  saw  that 
there  was  a  great  splinter  in  the  sore  foot.  They 
pulled  it  out  and  washed  the  sore  carefully  so  that  in 
a  short  time  it  would  be  well  again. 

Thankful  for  the  cure,  the  Elephant  thought: 
"These  carpenters  have  done  so  much  for  me,  I  must 
be  useful  to  them."  < 

So  after  that  the  Elephant  used  to  pull  up  trees  for 
the.  carpenters.  Sometimes  when  the  trees  were 
chopped  down  he  would  roll  the  logs  down  to  the  river. 

69 


JATAKA  TALES 


-W4 

He  held  up  one  foot  and  the  carpenters  saw  tha't  it  was  swollen 

and  sore. 

Other  times  he  brought  their  tools  for  them.  And 
the  carpenters  used  to  feed  him  well  morning,  noon 
and  night. 

Now  this  Elephant  had  a  son  who  w^as  white  all 
over — a  beautiful,  strong  young  one.  Said  the  old 
Elephant  to  himself,  ''I  will  take  my  son  to  the  place 
in  the  forest  where  I  go  to  work  each  day  so  that  he 
may  learn  to  help  the  carpenters,  for  I  am  no  longer 
young  and  strong." 

70 


THE  KING'S  WHITE  ELEPHANT 

So  the  old  Elephant  told  his  son  how  the  carpen- 
ters had  taken  good  care  of  him  when  he  was  badly 
hurt  and  took  him  to  tliem.     The  white  Elephant  did 


The  Elephant  used  to  pull  up  trees  for  the  carpenters. 
71 


JATAKA  TALES 

as  his  father  told  him  to  do  and  helped  the  carpenters 
and  they  fed  him  well. 

When  the  work  was  done  at  night  the  young  Ele- 
phant went  to  play  in  the  river.  The  carpenters'  chil- 
dren played  with  him,  in  the  water  and  on  the  bank. 
He  liked  to  pick  them  up  in  his  trunk  and  set  them 
on  the  high  branches  of  the  trees  and  then  let  them 
climb  down  on  his  back. 


mcy 

With  a  last  look  at  his  playmates  the  beautiful  white  Elephant  went 
on  with  the  king. 

72 


THE  KING'S  WHITE  ELEPHANT 

One  day  the  king  came  down  the  river  and  saw 
this  beautiful  white  Elephant  working  for  the  car- 
penters. The  king  at  once  wanted  the  Elephant  for 
his  own  and  paid  the  carpenters  a  great  price  for  him. 
Then  with  a  last  look  at  his  playmates,  the  children, 
the  beautiful  white  Elephant  went  on  with  the  king. 

The  king  was  proud  of  his  new  Elephant  and  took 
the  best  care  of  him  as  long  as  he  lived. 


7Z 


XV 
THE  OX  WHO  ENVIED  THE  PIG 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  an  Ox  named  Big 
I  Red.    He  had  a  younger  brother  named  Little 
Red.     These  two  brothers  did  all  the  carting 
on  a  large  farm. 

Now  the  farmer  had  an  only  daughter  and  she  was 
soon  to  be  married.  Her  mother  gave  orders  that  the 
Pig  should  be  fattened  for  the  wedding  feast. 

Little  Red  noticed  that  the  Pig  was  fed  on  choice 
food.  He  said  to  his  brother,  "How  is  it,  Big  Red, 
that  you  and  I  are  given  only  straw  and  grass  to  eat, 
while  we  do  all  the  hard  work  on  the  farm?  That 
lazy  Pig  does  nothing  but  eat  the  choice  food  the 
farmer  gives  him." 

Said  his  brother,  "My  dear  Little  Red,  envy  him 
not.  That  little  Pig  is  eating  the  food  of  death !  He 
is  being  fattened  for  the  wedding  feast.  Eat  your 
straw  and  grass  and  be  content  and  live  long." 

74 


fd 


y 
m 

* 


3* 

O 


O 

o 


JATAKA  TALES 


The  fattened  Pig  was  killed  and  cooked  for  the  wedding  feast 


Not  long  afterwards  the  fattened  Pig  was  killed  and 
cooked  for  the  wedding  feast. 

Then  Big  Red  said,  "Did  you  see,  Little  Red,  what 
became  of  the  Pig  after  all  his  fine  feeding  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  little  brother,  "we  can  go  on  eating 
plain  food  for  years,  but  the  poor  little  Pig  ate  the 
food  of  death  and  now  he  is  dead.  His  feed  was  good 
while  it  lasted,  but  it  did  not  last  long.*' 

76 


XVI 
GRANNY'S  BLACKIE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  a  rich  man  gave  a  baby  Ele- 
phant to  a  woman. 
She  took  the  best  of  care  of  this  great  baby 
and  soon  became  very  fond  of  him. 

The  children  in  the  village  called  her  Granny,  and 
they  called  the  Elephant  "Granny's  Blackie." 

The  Elephant  carried  the  children  on  his  back  all 
over  the  village.  They  shared  their  goodies  with  him 
and  he  played  with  them. 

"Please,  Blackie,  give  us  a  swing,"  they  said  to  him 
almost  every  day. 

"Come  on!  Who  is  first?"  Blackie  answered  and 
picked  them  up  with  his  trunk,  swung  them  high  in 
the  air,  and  then  put  them  down  again,  carefully. 

But  Blackie  never  did  any  work. 

He  ate  and  slept,  played  with  the  children,  and  vis- 
ited with  Granny. 

One  day  Blackie  wanted  Granny  to  go  off  to  the 
woods  with  him. 

77 


GRANNY'S  BLACKIE 

"I  can't  go,  Blackie,  dear.  I  have  too  much  work 
to  do." 

Then  Blackie  looked  at  her  and  saw  that  she  was 
growing  old  and  feeble. 

"I  am  young  and  strong,"  he  thought.  "I  '11  see 
if  I  cannot  find  some  work  to  do.  If  I  could  bring 
some  money  home  to  her,  she  would  not  have  to  work 
so  hard." 

So  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  he  started  down 
to  the  river  bank. 

There  he  found  a  man  who  was  in  great  trouble. 
There  was  a  long  line  of  wagons  so  heavily  loaded 
that  the  oxen  could  not  draw  them  through  the  shal- 
low water. 

When  the  man  saw  Blackie  standing  on  the  bank 
he  asked,  "Who  owns  this  Elephant?  I  want  to  hire 
him  to  help  my  Oxen  pull  these  wagons  across  the 
river." 

A  child  standing  near  by  said,  "That  is  Granny's 
Blackie." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  man,  "I  '11  pay  two  pieces  of 
silver  for  each  wagon  this  Elephant  draws  across  the 
river." 

Blackie  was  glad  to  hear  this  promise.     He  went 

79 


JATAKA  TALES 

into  the  river,  and  drew  one  wagon  after  another 
across  to  the  other  side. 

Then  he  went  up  to  the  man  for  the  money. 

The  man  counted  out  one  piece  of  silver  for  each 
wagon. 

When  Blackie  saw  that  the  man  had  counted  out 
but  one  piece  of  silver  for  each  wagon,  instead  of 
two,  he  would  not  touch  the  money  at  all.  He  stood 
in  the  road  and  would  not  let  the  wagons  pass  him. 

The  man  tried  to  get  Blackie  out  of  the  way,  but 
not  one  step  would  he  move. 

Then  the  man  went  back  and  counted  out  another 
piece  of  silver  for  each  of  the  wagons  and  put  the  sil- 
ver in  a  bag  tied  around  Blackie's  neck. 

Then  Blackie  started  for  home,  proud  to  think  that 
he  had  a  present  for  Granny. 

The  children  had  missed  Blackie  and  had  asked 
Granny  where  he  was,  but  she  said  she  did  not  know 
where  he  had  gone. 

They  all  looked  for  him  but  it  was  nearly  night  be- 
fore they  heard  him  coming. 

"Where  have  you  been,  Blackie  ?  And  what  is  that 
around  your  neck?"  the  children  cried,  running  to 
meet  their  playmate. 

80 


GRANNY'S  BLACKIE 

But  Blackie  would  not  stop  to  talk  with  his  play- 
mates.    He  ran  straight  home  to  Granny. 

"Oh,  Blackie!"  she  said,  "Where  have  you  been? 
What  is  in  that  bag?"  And  she  took  the  bag  off  his 
neck. 

Blackie  told  her  that  he  had  earned  some  money 
for  her. 

"Oh,  Blackie,  Blackie,"  said  Granny,  "how  ha;rd 
you  must  have  worked  to  earn  these  pieces  of  silver ! 
What  a  good  Blackie  you  are !" 

And  after  that  Blackie  did  all  the  hard  work  and 
Granny  rested,  and  they  were  both  very  happy. 


83 


XVII 
THE  CRAB  AND  THE  CRANE 

IN  the  Long  Ago  there  was  a  summer  when  very- 
little  rain  fell. 
All  the  Animals  suffered  for  want  of  water, 
but  the  Fishes  suffered  most  of  all. 

In  one  pond  full  of  Fishes,  the  water  was  very  low 
indeed. 

A  Crane  sat  on  the  bank  watching  the  Fishes. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  asked  a  little  Fish. 

"I  am  thinking  about  you  Fishes  there  in  the  pond. 
It  is  so  nearly  dry,"  answered  the  Crane. 

"Yes,"  the  Crane  went  on,  "I  was  wishing  I  might 
do  something  for  you.  I  know  of  a  pond  in  the  deep 
woods  where  there  is  plenty  of  water." 

*T  declare,"  said  the  little  Fish,  "you  are  the  first 
Crane  that  ever  offered  to  help  a  Fish." 

"That  may  be,"  said  the  Crane,  "but  the  water  is 
so  low  in  your  pond.     I  could  easily  carry  you  one  by 

:84. 


THE  CRAB  AND  THE  CRANE 

one  on  my  back  to  that  other  pond  where  there  is 
plenty  of  water  and  food  and  cool  shade." 

"I  don't  believe  there  is  any  such  pond,"  said  the 
little  Fish.  "What  you  wish  to  do  is  to  eat  us,  one 
by  one." 

*Tf  you  don't  believe  me,"  said  the  Crane,  "send 
with  me  one  of  the  Fishes  whom  you  can  believe.  I  '11 
show  him  the  pond  and  bring  him  back  to  tell  you  all 
about  it." 

A  big  Fish  heard  the  Crane  and  said,  "I  will  go 
with  you  to  see  the  pond — I  may  as  well  be  eaten  by 
the  Crane  as  to  die  here." 

So  the  Crane  put  the  big  Fish  on  his  back  and 
started  for  the  deep  woods. 

Soon  the  Crane  showed  the  big  Fish  the  pool  of 
water.  "See  how  cool  and  shady  it  is  here,"  he  said, 
"and  how  much  larger  the  pond  is,  and  how  full  it 
is!" 

"Yes !"  said  the  big  Fish,  "take  me  back  to  the  little 
pond  and  I  '11  tell  the  other  Fishes  all  about  it."  So 
back  they  went. 

The  Fishes  all  wanted  to  go  when  they  heard  the 
big  Fish  talk  about  the  fine  pond  which  he  had  seen. 

Then  the  Crane  picked  up  another  Fish  and  car- 

85 


So  the  Crane  put  the  big  Fish  on  his  back  and  started  for 
the  deep  woods. 


S6 


THE  CRAB  AND  THE  CRANE 

ried  it  away.     Not  to  the  pool,  but  into  the  woods 
where  the  other  Fishes  could  not  see  them. 

Then  the  Crane  put  the  Fish  down  and  ate  it.  The 
Crane  went  back  for  another  Fish.  He  carried  it  to 
the  same  place  in  the  woods  and  ate  it,  too. 

This  he  did  until  he  had  eaten  all  the  Fishes  in  the 
pond. 

The  next  day  the  Crane  went  to  the  pond  to  see  if 
he  had  left  a  Fish.  There  was  not  one  left,  but  there 
was  a  Crab  on  the  sand. 

"Little  Crab,"  said  the  Crane,  "would  you  let  me 
take  you  to  the  fine  pond  in  the  deep  woods  where  I 
took  the  Fishes  ?" 

"But  how  could  you  carry  me  ?"  asked  the  Crab. 

"Oh,  easily,"  answered  the  Crane.  "Til  take  you 
on  my  back  as  I  did  the  Fishes." 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  said  the  Crab,  "I  can't  go  that 
way.  I  am  afraid  you  might  drop  me.  If  I  could 
take  hold  of  your  neck  with  my  claws,  I  would  go. 
You  know  we  Crabs  have  a  tight  grip." 

The  Crane  knew  about  the  tight  grip  of  the  Crabs, 
and  he  did  not  like  to  have  the  Crab  hold  on  with  his 
claws.     But  he  was  hungry,  so  he  said: 

"Very  well,  hold  tight." 

87 


And  oflf  went  the  Crane  with  the  Crab. 


88 


THE  CRAB  AND  THE  CRANE 

And  off  went  the  Crane  with  the  Crab. 

When  they  reached  the  place  where  the  Crane  had 
eaten  the  Fishes,  the  Crane  said: 

*T  think  you  can  walk  the  rest  of  the  way.  Let  go 
of  my  neck." 

"I  see  no  pond,"  said  the  Crab.  "All  I  can  see  is 
a  pile  of  Fish  bones.  Is  that  all  that  is  left  of  the 
Fishes?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  Crane,  "and  if  you  will  let  go  of 
my  neck,  your  shell  will  be  all  that  will  be  left  of  you." 

And  the  Crane  put  his  head  down  near  the  ground 
so  that  the  Crab  could  get  off  easily. 

But  the  Crab  pinched  the  Crane's  neck  so  that  his 
head  fell  off. 

"Not  my  shell,  but  your  bones  are  left  to  dry  with 
the  bones  of  the  Fishes,"  said  the  Crab. 


89 


XVIII 

WHY  THE  OWL  IS  NOT  KING  OF 
THE  BIRDS 

WHY  is  it  that  Crows  torment  the  Owls  as  they 
sleep  in  the  daytime  ?     For  the  same  reason 
that  the  Owls  try  to  kill  the  Crows  while 
they  sleep  at  night. 

Listen  to  a  tale  of  long  ago  and  then  you  will  see 
why. 

Once  upon  a  time,  the  people  who  lived  together 
when  the  world  was  young  took  a  certain  man  for 
their  king.  The  four-footed  animals  also  took  one  of 
their  number  for  their  king.  The  fish  in  the  ocean 
chose  a  king  to  rule  over  them.  Then  the  birds  gath- 
ered together  on  a  great  flat  rock,  crying: 

''Among  men  there  is  a  king,  and  among  the  beasts, 

and  the  fish  have  one,  too;  but  we  birds  have  none. 

We  ought  to  have  a  king.     Let  us  choose  one  now." 

And  so  the  birds  talked  the  matter  over  and  at  last 

they  all  said,  "Let  us  have  the  Owl  for  our  king." 

90 


WHY  THE  OWL  IS  NOT  KING 


'See  how  sour  he  looks  right  now. 


No,  not  all,  for  one  old  Crow  rose  up  and  said,  "For 
my  part,  I  don't  want  the  Owl  to  be  our  king.  Look 
at  him  now  while  you  are  all  crying  that  you  want 
him  for  your  king.  See  how  sour  he  looks  right  now. 
If  that's  the  cross  look  he  wears  when  he  is  happy, 
how  will  he  look  when  he  is  angry?  I,  for  one,  want 
no  such  sour-looking  king !" 

Then  the  Crow  flew  up  into  the  air  crying,  "I  don't 

91 


JATAKA  TALES 

like  it !  I  don't  like  it  V*  The  Owl  rose  and  followed 
him.  From  that  time  on  the  Crows  and  the  Owls 
have  been  enemies.  The  birds  chose  a  Turtle  Dove 
to  be  their  king,  and  then  flew  to  their  homes. 


THE  END 


92 


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